Effects Of Cissus Populnea (Ogbolo) On Mainstream Smoked Weaned Rabbit

Abstract

The effect of Cissus populnea, a medicinal plant commonly used by the Nigerian Traditional medicine practitioners for the treatment of tertiary abnormalities especially in male has been investigated in smoking maturing male rabbits (1.0 -1.5kg BW). It was found that daily exposure to mainstream (M) smoke for 40 minutes produced significant reduction in sperm concentration (15.4± 2.5 (M) vs. 184± 3.6 (C) × 106 cells/ ml p<0.001; Testicular protein mg/ dl (4.06± 0.32 (M) vs 6.4± 0.8) p<0.01; (Motility 7.5± 7.3 (M) vs. 80± 3.5 (C); the other testicular parameters increased. Malonaldehyde m mol./ mg prot. (144 ± 3.11) (M) vs. 114 ± 2(C). Glutathione peroxidase activity (GSHPX) u/ mgprot.622 ± 16 (M) vs. 239.49 ± 15 (C) and alkaline phosphate u/ mg prot. (393 ± 24) (M) vs. 207.15 ± 19 (C) respectively. Except for malonaldehyde concentration that increased 10 fold in the presence of C. populnea, significant improvements in all other parameters were observed. Sperm concentration was 175% higher than that of (M); GSHPX activity reduced by 118% and alkaline phosphatase activity by 31% in the C. populnea treated group. The results suggested that treatment of mainstream cigarette smoked rabbits with C. populnea 200mg/ kg increased sperm concentration above the normal (20 × 106 cells ml), reduced testicular GSHPX and alkaline phosphatase activities when compared with untreated smoked rabbits.

NQJHM Vol. 15 (1) 2005: pp. 19-22